Accounts for medium term cash savings (decent rate)

Aliliva

Hi all! Hope I can get some good advices from the collective wisdom here.
I finally got around calculating how much cash I need saved for emergencies and short/medium term expenses and how much I can afford to invest. I'm happy for about half of the cash to sit in non-easy access accounts, as long as I can get some return on it and not see inflation biting into all of my pot - but here is my issue: is there any decent paying savings account where I could save about 10k over the next couple of years (hopefully less)?

To give you a better picture, this is the list of accounts I already hold:
- Barclay's Rewards
- NatWest Rewards (I have a mortgage with them and having the account I can see my mortgage through the app, which isn't a thing otherwise)
- HSBC Advance + Regular Saver (2.5%, matures in December 2020)
- Tesco (1%)

Ideally, I'd like to avoid opening too many new bank accounts, as then I lose track of them (and their debit cards). And again, ideally, I'd like the cash not to be locked away for more than 1 year, but I do accept the possibility of a minor fee for withdrawing it early.

Let me know if I didn't make any sense and you guys need more details

xylophone

https://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/article-1583859/Best-savings-rates-General-savings-Internet-branch.html

grumiofoundation

You say 'invest' but talk about non-easy access accounts? Invest is often taken to mean stocks and shares etc. (capital as risk). 

The 'best' savings account will depend on exactly what you want, if there is a chance you will need access to the money before 2 years will need some in accounts that can be accesses earlier. Higher rates (1 year ~1.3%) will require locking the money away in fixed rates accounts, whereas easy access will be lower (currently best 1.16%). Notice accounts are another option that offer interest between these (best current 1.25%).

Aliliva

grumiofoundation said:

You say 'invest' but talk about non-easy access accounts? Invest is often taken to mean stocks and shares etc. (capital as risk). 

Apologies, I guess I didn't set it out very clearly. My plan is to have four separate savings pots:
1) Loooooong term (Pension): I'm already covered on this side, with 15% salary going it it
2) Long term (10/15 years minimum): S&S ISA (slowly building that up)
3) Medium term (4/10 years): here lies the issue!
4) Short term (emergencies, holiday fund, planned expenses for the coming 4 years): easy access accounts (this pot is already "full")

I don't need the medium term pot to be instantly available, although I'd still like to be able to access at a notice and with some penalty if I really really had to (think nuclear option). I was just looking for some account that could pay some interest - having had a look around, it seems like now is just the wrong time to look for decent paying savings accounts, and the ones you listed are probably the best options...

colsten

https://moneyfacts.co.uk/

Keep your expectations for interest earnings low.